Evaluating Missionary Written Hymns for use in 21st Century Asian Churches 1

David Alexander August 2008

Evaluating Missionary-Written Hymns for use in 21st Century Asian

Churches, with Specific Reference to the Taiwan Context David Alexander*

The Uses Of Hymns And Other Liturgical Texts

The people of God sing. Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs comprise

significant portions of both Hebrew and Christian scriptures and of the lives of God’s

people. Music and song are vital in the life of God’s people today. Karl Barth opined

“singing is not an option for the people of God; it is one of the essential ministries of

the church.”1 Yet when we take the styles of singing into mind, these comprise highly

contested areas of concern in churches. Relevance to modern culture is cited by

advocates of more contemporary styles of worship. The danger of cultural

accommodation and its potential to distort the message of the gospel is cited by those

wishing to adhere to “the traditions.”2

In the earliest days of Reformed churches music was not thought fit for admission

to the public worship of Almighty God. Ulrich Zwingli, himself a very accomplished

musician, banned it. This pattern, initiated at Zurich and copied elsewhere, lasted well

into the 16th century. For these Sweitz-deutch Christians and their churches it was the

word which mattered. Emotion, sentimentality and musical accompaniment were

banned to preclude the possibility of the word becoming lost or obscured by artifice.3

John Calvin changed the pattern. The church at Geneva in 1536 held to the

Zwinglian pattern. Calvin soon suggested the restoration of music to the church

service “so that the coldness of the prayers of the people be removed and so that the

* The author holds the MA in Theology degree from New Brunswick Theological Seminary in the USAand the Ed.M. degree from Rutgers University Graduate School of Education and serves asInternational Students’ Advisor at Tainan Theological College and Seminary.1 Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, Vol. IV, part 3, chapter 16, par. 72, #4.2 Robert L. Foster , “A plea for new songs: a missional/theological reflection on Psalm 96.” Currents in Theology and Mission - August 1, 20063 Howard Hageman, “Can Church Music Be Reformed?” The Reformed Review, Dec 1960 Vol 14, No.2. p. 19. Evaluating Missionary Written Hymns for use in 21st Century Asian Churches 2 David Alexander August 2008

hearts of worshipers be incited to zeal and that those gathered come to invoke and

exalt the glory of God’s name by their praises.”4 This was rejected. When Calvin went

to Strasbourg he found Lutheran Protestants who had retained music in evangelical

worship. He re-introduced song to the Strasbourg Reformed congregation through use

of versifications of scripture texts. These were faithful to the originals with frequent

resort to additional material to fill out a line.5 He stuck to the scriptures in the belief

that attempts to sing new songs in our own words often result in singing about

ourselves rather than about God.6

The relationship between worship and theology is a two-way affair. There are

both theologies of worship and theologies from worship.7 Congregational singing both

expresses and forms Christian faith. Because people tend to remember the theology

they sing more than the theology that they hear preached, primacy is placed on the

meaning of the texts that are sung. Often it is through the sense of words sung that

believers learn of the nature and character of God and of the Christian life. Theology

implicit in the hymns is often the more powerful than theology preached. It gives

worshipers “food for thought” as they form their own ways of thinking and speaking

about God.

Hymns in the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan.

The use of music and of hymn singing in the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan

(PCT) can be traced to 19th century missionaries from the UK and Canada. The British

mission to the south of Taiwan that began in 1865 was linked to Xiamen where, in

1854, a collection of 13 hymns in the Minnan language (the same as that in Taiwan)

the often bawdy lyrics they intone. Christians at worship join each other in melody,

harmony and rhythm. It is important to be together, and to sing together. The result is

that “bad theology” is often articulated in what is sung. The hymn of challenge, Once

to Every Man and Nation is moving and widely accepted in churches, but claiming

that God’s call upon “men” and nations is “once” is theologically questionable if not

indefensible.

1: A Mainline Church Model from America

In 1986 the General Synod of the Reformed Church in America endorsed and

adopted a paper offering a set of standards against which the entire spectrum of music

used by congregations could be judged. The paper poses nine questions.

1. What theology is expressed in our congregational singing?

2. Is it biblical? 3. Is it consistent with Reformed theology? 4. Is the range of what we sing representative of the "whole counsel of God?" 5. What do our songs and hymns say or imply about the sovereignty and grace of God? 6. What do our songs and hymns say or imply about the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ? 7. What do our songs and hymns say or imply about the work of the Holy Spirit? 8. What do our songs and hymns say or imply about the nature and mission of the church? 9. What do our songs and hymns say or imply about the sacraments, and the Christian life?18 Application of the standards assumes that a congregation or representative

committee thereof has at hand an overview of what the congregation uses habitually.

These standards are “general”. The synod called for a clearly stated, biblical,

Reformed, comprehensive theology to be articulated within the music of the church.

2: An Academic Model from the UK

Susan J. White is more expansive. She focuses on all “liturgical texts” (not18 “The Theology and Place of Music in Worship” Report of the Commission on Christian Worship, Reformed Church in America, Minutes of General Synod, 1986, pp 223-227. Evaluating Missionary Written Hymns for use in 21st Century Asian Churches 6 David Alexander August 2008

exclusively on what is sung) and offers 18 criteria:

1. What does this text say about God, and about God's attributes and actions? From which sources are the images of God taken?2 What does the text say about Jesus Christ? What is the relationship betweenthe risen Christ and the historical Jesus of Nazareth? From which sources are theseimages taken?3. What is the nature and action of the Holy Spirit?4. What does this text say about the Trinity and about inter-trinitarian relations?5. What does this text say about human beings or about communities of humanbeings?6. What does this text say about the nature of salvation? From what are wesaved? By whom? When, under what conditions, and how? Is it an event or aprocess? What images are used to describe this event or process?7. What is the nature of sin and judgment? How do these relate to redemption?8. What does it say about the final destiny of things; the second coming; heavenand hell; the Christian hope?9. How does the text talk about goodness, power, suffering, and self-sacrifice?10. What does this text say about the church, about its nature and mission? What images are used to describe the church and from where do they come?11. What is the nature of belief and faith? Are they essentially corporate orindividual?12. How is the Bible treated in this text? What biblical images are used and how?Do the biblical images come from one particular portion or book of the Bible?13. How are certain key elements of Christian doctrine expressed and interpreted(such as, incarnation, resurrection, crucifixion, atonement)?14. What does this text say about the Christian sacraments? About their institutionand purpose?15. Who is speaking in this text (for example, is it the voice "righteous redeemed"or the "penitent sinner"; the "seeker"; the "church triumphant")?16. Can anything be discerned about the historical or doctrinal context of this textsimply by reading it? 17. Are there any serious theological difficulties or inconsistencies in this text? 18. What would be an appropriate liturgical use for this text? 19 Dr. White specifically covers several points of Christian faith, life and tradition.

Her template can be used to evaluate individual songs, hymns, confessions of faith,

19 Susan J. White, Foundations of Christian Worship Louisville: Westminster, John Knox, 2006, p.204. Evaluating Missionary Written Hymns for use in 21st Century Asian Churches 7 David Alexander August 2008

unison prayers, collects or other items. She does not ask that a text of a hymn or song

reflect any particular point of view, but that it HAVE a clearly discernable one.

3: An Evangelical Church Model from America

Preparing to publish a new hymnal for the Southern Baptist Convention (USA) in

2008, Lifeway Christian Resources convened a theological panel in October of 2007

to perform a theological review of songs to be included therein. The group was tasked

to rate doctrinal and theological soundness through use of the following criteria:

1. Does the hymn speak biblically of God?

2. Is it God-honoring? 3. Does the hymn present a biblical view of man? 4. Does the song help us to cover the depth and breadth of our theology? 5. Does the hymn call us to true discipleship, service, repentance, witness, missions and devotion? 6. Does the hymn speak biblically of salvation? 7. Does it engage the whole person - allowing a person to express his deepest feelings? 8. Does the hymn emphasize that Christ is the Christian’s Lord, Master and King? (the idea of total submission) 9. Does the hymn present an Americanized/Westernized gospel? (civil religion) 10. Is there a balance with corporate and individual response in worship? (immanence and transcendence) 11. Does the hymn speak biblically about the church, the body of Christ?20 Like the previous two models, these Baptists are seeking to shape the texts of

what congregations will sing in accordance with their interpretations of the Bible. In

contrast to the model presented by the Reformed Church’s Commission on Worship,

which was intended for application to the breadth of a congregation’s singing, this

model (like Dr. White’s) is intended for the screening of specific texts.

20 Polly House, “Committee To Ensure Doctrine, Theology Of New Baptist Hymnal” http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0%2C1703%2CA%25253D166390%252526M %25253D201117%2C00.html? Evaluating Missionary Written Hymns for use in 21st Century Asian Churches 8 David Alexander August 2008

ideographically written texts to depict ideas. Signifiers used in phonetically based

ideographs have concrete flavor and a suggestiveness of their own. They constitute a

framework for expressing perception and thought that closely associates form and

meaning.25 The ideographs used to write Chinese languages evoke images of those

22 Lo Kong-hi “The Lord Who Enters the World to Serve and to Save” September 2006 http://www.ttcs.org.tw/~thco/theo/history/history.htm23 John Parratt, ed. An Introduction to Third World Theologies Cambridge: University Press, 2004 See also Huang Po-ho, “Retrospect and Prospect of Doing Contextual Theology in Taiwan” Journal of Theologies and Cultures in Asia, Vol. 1 (2002) p. 88.24 Beniot Vermander, “Theologizing in the Chinese Context” Studia Missionalia,Vol 45, 1996. pp. 119-134.25 Edmund Chia, ”The Sensus Fidelium of the People of God in Asia” http://eapi.admu.edu.ph/eapr002/chia.htm Evaluating Missionary Written Hymns for use in 21st Century Asian Churches 10 David Alexander August 2008

objects to which they refer. Conceptual abstraction, possible in languages utilizing

phonetic-based writing systems, is less possible when the signifiers themselves evoke

concrete images.

In the Western dualistic view of reality God is seen as the great Other, who

stands over-against God’s creation. The human body is likewise seen as different from

the human soul. This is in stark contrast to the Chinese concept of tao which posits a

fundamental unity of reality. There is no division of the divine from the created and

the human. In contrast to the “outward” and “upward” religious directionality of

Euro-American systems, those of Asia are oriented inwardly. Reality is gathered and

integrated. An integrated person rediscovers and realizes everything. This leads to a

sense of community within which people become aware both of their rights and of

in which it takes root. Theologians must “do theology” using local resources as they

re-confess Christian faith in their particular contexts. This requires a clearly stated

theology of religions and dialogue with other religions about their own relationships

with the cultural millieux in which they “live, move and have their being”. He asks

that the churches of Taiwan do four things.

1. Re-examine traditional elements of Taiwanese customs and practices that

sustain value and meaning systems for people, such as ancestor worship, festivals, and symbols. 2. Re-consider the relationship between Christianity and other religions in the nation’s society through constructive dialogue. 3. Strive for Christian ecumenicity while upholding both the universality and particularity of the gospel. 4. Construct relevant theology in the socio-political context of Taiwan and participate in political movements of the people. He sees freedom and identity as essential and inter-dependent elements of

individual humanity. Identity must be acknowledged if freedom, even the freedom

that comes through the gospel, is to be sustained. But since identity is tied up with

culture, which sustains it, re-confessing begins with self-determination, an essential

political and theological component of the effort to solve the crises at hand. Self-

determination, of one’s OWN identity has connections to all spiritual, cultural and

socio-political matters. Self-determination fulfills the need to achieve freedom while

preserving the identity of the people in Taiwan.33

33 Cheng Yang-en Life And Mission In The Church Of Taiwan Presentation at a CCA General Committee Meeting in Taiwan on 11-16 May 2002 Evaluating Missionary Written Hymns for use in 21st Century Asian Churches 14 David Alexander August 2008

4: Aspects of the Taiwan Context

A. Historical-Political

Originally populated by Austronesian peoples, Taiwan was gradually “settled”

by Han Chinese from Fujian beginning in the 16th century. The Ming Dynasty

government of imperial China considered the island and its dependencies as “no

man’s land.”34 In the early 17th century Spain and the Netherlands launched colonizing

expeditions. Since then Taiwan has been occupied by a succession of foreign rulers:

harbor on March 8th and started to kill people indiscriminately. The "cleansing of the

countryside” that followed eventually racked up a death toll estimated between 10,000

34 John Wills, Jr. “The 17th Century Transformation” in Murray A Rubenstein, ed Taiwan: A New History. Armonk NY, M.E. Sharpe 1999, p. 85. Evaluating Missionary Written Hymns for use in 21st Century Asian Churches 15 David Alexander August 2008

and 20,000. This historical period has come to be known as “the 2-28”.35 In the 1950’s

“temporary custodial care” turned into a permanent rule, and political dissent was

squashed.36 By 1971 the KMT government had become internationally isolated and

ruled without democratic legitimacy. The custodians aged and either emigrated to the

West or died. By the late 1980’s opposition parties began to be organized and

eventually their leaders won elections to office. In 1996 a free and fair election for

president was first held. The process has been repeated in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

B. Religious

The most common religions in Taiwan are Buddhism and Taoism, which are

practiced by the majority of the population. While only half of the population

identified themselves as Buddhist or Taoist in a government census,37 many of those

who indicate no religious belief follow some tenets or participate in some rituals and

After 1949 the KMT government established Mandarin Chinese (variously

known as Beijing Dialect, ordinary speech, and the National Language) as the

common language, suppressing local languages to ensure that everyone mastered it.

Mandarin is now the primary language used in schools, government and many

businesses. Notwithstanding government orders, there remain 14 languages and

dialects in use in Taiwan today.43 However, younger generations of Aborigines,

Hakkanese and Taiwanese who grew up in cities often can no longer converse in their

ancestral tongues.

A shared system of writing has been the primary unifying force among

Chinese since 206 B.C. In modern China this system simplified in the 1950’s.

Taiwan retains traditional ideographs, giving its people continuity with one portion of

their cultural heritage and the ability to read Chinese classics and other ancient

writings.44 Nonetheless, using only Chinese characters to write the Taiwanese and

Hakkanese languages is problematic because some idioms have come into Taiwan

from non-Chinese sources to which no ideographs have been “assigned”.

E. Ecclesial

Christian mission in Taiwan came in three waves. The 17th century efforts

disappeared soon after European colonizers were ousted in 1664. In the 19th century

Roman Catholic missions were established in Pingtung and Protestant mission,

facilitated by the Tien Chin Treaty of 1858, began in 1865. Early Protestant

missionaries adopted a comprehensive approach of social, medical and educational

work alongside their evangelistic preaching. Following the Second World War many

Christian denominations and independent churches accompanied the defeated KMT in

43 Government Information Office “Languages” http://www.gio.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=35570&ctNode=4101 19 March 200844 “Taiwan’s Languages” http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/taiwan/pro-languages.htm 19 March 2008 Evaluating Missionary Written Hymns for use in 21st Century Asian Churches 19 David Alexander August 2008

its retreat from China. Church growth then stagnated in the 1970’s. Prophetic concern

for political development and the national future of Taiwan moved the PCT in 1977

to: call for social and political reforms; proclaim the right of Taiwanese people to self-

determination; and express hope for a "new and independent country." This led to

persecution and suppression by the KMT government. Protestant churches which did

not share the Presbyterians’ convictions criticized the PCT based on ideological and

A Tool For Taiwan-Context Theological Analysis Of Hymns

interplay between biblical revelation and contemporary Asian realities.47 He has

accused ethnic Chinese churches of in-authenticity, saying that they:

1) looked yellow in their skin, but deep in their heart and mind they wanted to be as white as Caucasians. 2) translated and borrowed theologies, having none of their own. 3) copied Western styles of musical composition, and illegally copied Western published anthems. 4) retained secondhand liturgies introduced by missionaries over a century ago.48Loh demands contextualization in order to encourage an expression of Christian faith

that is Asian in nature and not merely a transplantation of Western Christianity.49

Asian cultural soil, and let local versions of Christianity grow.50

Amaladoss and Huang Po-ho into a “tool,” for Taiwan contextual theological

evaluation of hymns looks as follows.

a. Does the language of this hymn reflect current usage in Taiwan? (Ng) b. Does this hymn reflect Taiwanese modes of spirituality?(Ng) c. Does this hymn use resources drawn from Taiwan’s cultural environment? (Huang) d. Does this hymn celebrate traditional elements of Taiwan’s culture? (Huang) e. Does this hymn link Taiwan’s Christians to people of other religions? (Huang) f. Does this hymn link Taiwan’s Christians ecumenically? (Huang) g. Is this hymn relevant to Taiwan’s socio-political context? (Huang) h. Does this hymn move its singers towards freedom within their Taiwan identity ? (Huang) i. Does this hymn include interplay between biblical revelation and contemporary Taiwan realities? (Loh) j. If singers take this hymn to heart, will they bear fruit that will in some way fit into Taiwan’s context? (Niles) k. Does this hymn reflect a fundamental unity of reality? (Amaladoss)

1B: Test Tool

Does the language of this hymn reflect current usage in Taiwan? Does this hymn reflect Taiwanese modes of spirituality?

51 For this our nation we ardently pray. Come, truth of Jesus to enlighten our way. Come to our cities, we humbly implore, fill us with Jesus’ love to our very core. O Almighty Father, your kingdom come here, that sickness and poverty we may not have to fear. Our Father in heaven, may your will be done. That peace, hope and righteousness shine as bright as the sun. Evaluating Missionary Written Hymns for use in 21st Century Asian Churches 22 David Alexander August 2008

Does this hymn use resources drawn from Taiwan’s cultural environment? Does this hymn celebrate traditional elements of Taiwan’s culture? Does this hymn link Taiwan’s Christians to people of other religions? Does this hymn link Taiwan’s Christians ecumenically? Is this hymn relevant to Taiwan’s socio-political context? Does this hymn move its singers towards freedom within their Taiwan identity ? Does this hymn include interplay between biblical revelation and contemporary Taiwan realities? If singers take this hymn to heart, will they bear fruit that will in some way fit into Taiwan’s context? Does this hymn reflect a fundamental unity of reality? Does this hymn call all human beings to community?1C: Analysis

Use of the term, "this piece of land" picks up on two aspects near to the heart of

the Taiwanese. First is the years of colonial oppression during which local people

were told that they were either subjects of the Japanese emperor (1895 to 1945) or the

heavy handed Nationalist dictatorship from 1945 until the mid-1990's during which a

"greater China" identity was promoted and Taiwan-consciousness was suppressed.

The other theme it draws on is the centuries of Taiwan's life as an agricultural society

during which connection to the land was of prime importance. The processes through

which Taiwan has changed, in the most recent five decades, from an agricultural,

through an industrial, into a service and consumer economy have strained and often

broken connection to the land among persons born after 1960. In the 21st century the

process of globalization threatens the connection to "this" piece of land. Through

usage of the phrase "for this piece of land" this hymn calls its users to Taiwan.

Taiwan's peoples are praying peoples. In traditional homes joss sticks are lit and

placed before the house gods or ancestral tablets every day. Though less common than

before, it is yet not uncommon to observe pedestrians, when passing a folk religion

temple, engaging in behaviour which could easily be compared to that of Roman

Evaluating Missionary Written Hymns for use in 21st Century Asian Churches 23 David Alexander August 2008

Catholics in a church "genuflecting" before the altar. On March 19, 2004, the evening

of the day when Taiwan's then-president Chen Shui-bian had been shot, leaders of a

pre-election rally in Taipei called the crowds gathered there to be silent and led a

prayer to "Our Mother Taiwan" for his recovery and the safety of the land. This hymn,

a prayer for Taiwan, though Christian in much of its content, reflects a basic mode of

Taiwan spirituality.

In the mid-1990's the municipal government of Kaohsiung made a bid to host the

Asian Games. At that time a city motto, "Friendship, Sunshine, Passion" was coined.

This motto was derived from what the promoters sensed in the Kaohsiung

environment. The second line of the hymn, in which the truth of God is begged to fill

the land as light shines upon it picks up on this contemporary Taiwan reality.

Nevertheless, the hymn fails to celebrate any traditional elements of Taiwan's culture

and falls short of linking Christians with people of other religions. "Almighty

Heavenly Father God" is particularly Christian terminology. Notwithstanding that in

Chinese Folk Religion there is the Jade Emperor, or "God of Heaven", this eminence

has little to do with the lives of common people, who look to subordinate gods, ghosts

and ancestors for their particular needs.52

Taiwan's Christians are divided on many issues, not least of which are the terms

by which they refer to God. All Protestants and Roman Catholics could agree on the

terms used in this hymn and translated "Almighty Father" and "Heavenly Father", but

the term "Siong-te" which follows it is a bone of contention going back centuries.

Roman Catholics use "Thian-chu" (Lord of heaven), Presbyterians and some other

mainline Protestants use "Siong-te" (the emperor above) and free church Protestants

use "Sin" (spirit). The hymn, therefore, both succeeds and fails to link Taiwan's

Christians.

52 David Jordan, Gods, Ghosts & Ancestors, (Berkley, University of California, 1968) p. xvi. Evaluating Missionary Written Hymns for use in 21st Century Asian Churches 24 David Alexander August 2008

Insofar as relevance to Taiwan's socio-political context can be ascertained,

beyond use of the term "this piece of land", alluded to above, the hymn recognizes the

existence of sickness and grief, which are common in Taiwan (as most everywhere

else) and of fear of poverty, which was only eliminated (for the most part) in Taiwan

in the last generation. Mention of cities is highly relevant to the urbanized situation of

the vast majority of Taiwan's residents. Though it may have been more poetic and

beautiful to have sung of lofty Yu-shan, few Taiwanese will ever see it other than in a

photograph or on a TV screen. Biblical imagery is found in the next to last line where

the phrase "your will be done" is inserted. This, lifted from the Lord's prayer, connects

the hymn writer and hymn users to two millenia of church usage. Those who use the

hymn and take it to heart will come to care not only for themselves but for the land,

the cities and the people of this land.

1D: Summary

Of the twelve criteria posited for analysis of a hymn's contextual applicability to

Taiwan, this one meets ten and fails two. The failures are based on the contents and

form of the hymn itself, not on any defect in the instrument. Calibration thus

completed, and the instrument demonstrated to be effective, we now proceed to

testing other materials.

2A: "When Creation’s Work Was Done"

This hymn, apparently written by John V. N. Talmage, was included in Iong-sim

Sin-si published in Xiamen in 1859. At that time missionary hymn writers were

creating both liturgy and literature for the churches they were establishing in China.

Congruent with the idea that "we sing what we believe", the missionaries were using

song to reinforce some of the beliefs which they were offering to the persons who,

leaving behind the faiths of their mothers and fathers, came to be united with the

fellowship of the Christian Church. This hymn demonstrates the missionaries' concern Evaluating Missionary Written Hymns for use in 21st Century Asian Churches 25 David Alexander August 2008

that the newly established churches in Minan language regions articulate beliefs that:

1) the world had come into being through the creative will of God; 2) the Sabbath was

ordained for God's people from of old; 3) its celebration on Sunday (instead of

Saturday) was warranted by the resurrection of Christ on that day; and 4) history has a

destination, which will include an eternal state of rest. All of these are addressed,

affirmed, and sung in the hymn "When Creation's Work Was Done." The hymn is still

in use in Presbyterian Churches in Taiwan today.

As with the hymn used above to test the analytical tool, a more-or-less the

literal rendering of the original text into English will be used.

1) Heaven and earth made all complete, God rest and give blessing. People learn God’s way, early have kept Sabbath day. Early have kept Sabbath day.

2) All people sin, Heaven is angered. Jesus descends for us to die.

Salvation completed and suffering ended, First day of week Lord arose. First day of week Lord arose.

4) God’s holy book says very truly, end day heaven and earth change to new. Jesus disciples receive blessings Eternal rest in heaven kingdom. Eternal rest in heaven kingdom.2B: Tool Does the language of this hymn reflect current usage in Taiwan? Does this hymn reflect Taiwanese modes of spirituality? Does this hymn use resources drawn from Taiwan’s cultural environment? Does this hymn celebrate traditional elements of Taiwan’s culture? Does this hymn link Taiwan’s Christians to people of other religions? Does this hymn link Taiwan’s Christians ecumenically? Is this hymn relevant to Taiwan’s socio-political context? Does this hymn move its singers towards freedom within their Taiwan identity ? Does this hymn include interplay between biblical revelation and contemporary Taiwan realities? If singers take this hymn to heart, will they bear fruit that will in some way fit into Taiwan’s context? Evaluating Missionary Written Hymns for use in 21st Century Asian Churches 26 David Alexander August 2008

Does this hymn reflect a fundamental unity of reality?

Does this hymn call all human beings to community?2C: Analysis

Of the 12 criteria posited in the tool, this hymn fully meets only two: it links

Christians ecumenically (the command to keep a Sabbath being upheld, though not

necessarily kept, in all of Taiwan's Christian churches) and it offers Christians

freedom within their Taiwan Identity (because though it calls for Sabbath keeping, it

does not specifically state "Sabbatarian rules" for how this is to be done). It is partly

successful in its attempt to be relevant to Taiwan's socio-political context because in

21st century Taiwan is available away from work for most people on a weekly basis to

take both a Saturday AND a Sunday sabbath. The hymn also makes use of Biblical

material in all four verses, carrying singers through creation, fall, redemption and the

Second Coming of Christ. However, it does not link these to contemporary Taiwan

realities.

2D: Summary

The hymn fails to be relevant to the Taiwan context in many areas. Nothing in

traditional Taiwan spirituality calls for people to take any "sabbath rest". The text calls

Taiwan's Christians to separate themselves from their fellow citizens who are not

Christians or inclined to rest one day a week. Perhaps most seriously, it carries no

sense of a unity of reality. Heaven and earth are separate, Jesus "descends" from

heaven, only "souls" are saved, and eternal blessing is made available only for those

who can be identified as the disciples of Jesus.

Conclusions

For Taiwan

If the tool is useful when applied to hymn texts written in Minnan language by

foreign missionaries (whom we might presume to be somewhat familiar with the local Evaluating Missionary Written Hymns for use in 21st Century Asian Churches 27 David Alexander August 2008

context), it can be applied also to the translations of hymn texts from other regions

which are commonly used in Taiwan’s churches today. Those that pass the test of

applicability (or at least, not fail the test absolutely) might be included in future hymn

collections. Those that fail might disappear quietly into obscurity.

The use of “out of context” texts is no more wrong than use of the deutero-

canonical books of the Bible is wrong. Some of the hymns, like some of the deutero-

canonicals, are helpful in broadening the spirituality of local Christians. But “out of

context” texts need to be clearly labeled for what they ARE. Texts and tunes

constructed from local cultural materials in local motifs are identifiable without much

trouble. Only “out of context” items presented for use in Taiwan’s churches need

additional treatment. For example: Silent Night would carry the notation “19th Century

Austrian”. Be Not Dismayed would be “20th Century American” and Jesus, Thou Joy

of Loving Hearts would come as “12th Century Latin”. Even hymns from South Asia

and Africa, the rhythmic and melodic qualities of which make them instantly

recognizable, should bear some identification as to nation (or people) of origin and

century (20th Century, Gambia, etc.).

For Asian Churches in General

Taiwan is a single corner of Asia. In each nation, and in separate regions of

several, there are ethnic, cultural, linguistic, historical, economic, ecclesial and

political factors that create unique contexts for the Christians of those places. Tools

for contextual evaluation of the hymns used in churches there might be developed

along the lines of the one presented here for Taiwan. These might serve churches not

only in evaluating the music that is presented to them in the denominational or

commercially produced hymnals that they use, but also to evaluate the mass of

material that comes electronically for projection on screens (in urban churches where Evaluating Missionary Written Hymns for use in 21st Century Asian Churches 28 David Alexander August 2008

power is reliable and computer equipment is in use).

It is anticipated that much of what is evaluated will pass, and that which is not

from the context will be clearly seen inapplicable. This is not a call to purge our

churches of “out of context” materials, but to take a step to construct church

theologies and practices that are both living and local for the sake of sharing the good

news of a living and incarnate Lord Jesus Christ with all of our neighbors and to the